Emergency Response Team Senior Human Resources Partner

Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit Human Resources Partner

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit

The IRCs Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit (EPRU) leads or oversees IRCs global emergency preparedness and response activities. The mission of the EPRU is to help meet the immediate survival needs and reduce suffering in conflict or disaster affected populations during the acute phase of an emergency. The EPRU also works in protracted emergencies, where the risk to life may be reduced but the population is still subjected to rights abuses and a lack of basic services.

The EPRU is also charged with enhancing the IRCs global and country level emergency preparedness capacity. We do this by supporting the development and training of Country Emergency Teams, assisting in the development of emergency focused partnerships with local civil society organizations, maintaining regional and global capacity to rapidly identify and deploy qualified emergency response personnel and supporting country-level contingency planning.

Human Resources at the IRC

The IRC Human Resource Department headquartered in New York, leads and oversees the development and implementation of best practice HR management that ensures the IRC has the structure, culture and talent needed to deliver on program goals and effectively serve its beneficiaries.

Each IRC country program is responsible for the HR function within their country including international staff recruitment in cooperation with IRC NY, national staff recruitment, compliance with IRC global HR policy and procedures, development of country level polices, administration of national payroll and benefits systems and the development of workforce plans and training in accordance with program needs and funding.

SCOPE OF WORK

The IRC ERT staff is expected to be deployed in the field, either in an emergency or roving capacity, for 65% of the time and must be able to deploy to the site of an emergency within 72 hours of notification; emergency deployments take precedence over other duties.

Members of the Emergency Response Team are deployed to either support existing country programs in their emergency response, or to initiate a new program in the crisis zone. The overall responsibility of the team is to rapidly and effectively design, develop and manage the IRC’s on-site humanitarian response to meet the immediate needs of the affected population. The ERT is also responsible for supporting the transfer of responsibilities and knowledge to the long-term staff to ensure the continuity of IRC programming and operations.

The Human Resources Partner has responsibility to lead the implementation and management of the country/emergency Human resource functions. S/he is a member of the Global HR Partner and Capacity Department and provides dedicated support to the Emergency Response and Preparedness Unit (EPRU). Reporting to the Senior Director, Global HR Partners and Capacity , it is understood that during emergency deployments ERT staff will work under the direction of IRC’s Emergency Field Director or designated country emergency lead.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Emergency Deployments

• Serve as a strategic partner providing advice and counsel to maximize staffing resources and performance, ensure economy and efficiency of work processes, and contain institutional risk. As needed, serve as primary liaison for all HR matters.
• Evaluate and facilitate HR functional capacity and service delivery. Implement collaborative actions to facilitate evaluation and development of HR capacity and infrastructure. Build knowledge, expertise, and capacity leveraging internal and external resources. Identify and facilitate development of standards, tools, and resources and oversee delivery and implementation. Measure and evaluate.
• Ensure effective adaptation of HR tools and processes at all levels and compliance with the spirit and intent of labor regulations and donor requirements.
• Establish and maintain strong communication links with IRC HQ HR on all matters throughout an emergency deployment including expat recruitment and deployment, policy development and legal matters related to Human Resources
  • Design and ensure HR policies, systems and standards are compliant with IRC’s GHROPP and local labor law.
  • Ensure strong partnership with recruitment, the regional HR Partners and when available the country HR lead to attract and deploy the right staff with the right skills fast.
  • Work with C&B on compensation and benefits structures.
• Ensure timely payment of local staff, statutory remittances and benefit providers; working closely with Finance to maintain required documentation, internal control standards and accurate allocation of expenditures.
• When required, hire, train and supervise the human resource staff required to support IRC’s emergency interventions;
• Manage the delivery of the IRC global orientation package (IRC Connect) including professional standards (IRC Way) and develop country level HR orientation materials, proactively working with other units to develop and deliver appropriate country and position orientations to ensure all new staff receive timely orientations and reference materials
• Develop and maintain the country/emergency program organizational charts, staffing plans, and budget guidance for all staff related costs; ensure ongoing and timely communications with the CD/Emergency Field Director and senior management team on HR planning and funding
• Work collaboratively and flexibly with Supply Chain and Administration staff to ensure management oversight of and support to establish and maintain required staff housing, travel, visas and office administration activities.
• Actively support and participate in proposal development, grant opening, review and closing meetings; providing required HR reports and data in advance of meetings and according to schedule.
• Represent IRC in local inter-agency HR coordination bodies and ensure local policies, compensation, and benefits are benchmarked against appropriate peers;
• Liaise with local government authorities, legal counsel and local benefit providers as applicable; to ensure strong partnerships, legally compliant and successful delivery of IRC’s human resources activities;
• Assess and provide input on post emergency structures and transition plans and participate in the development of security and contingency planning for the emergency operation.
• Provide a comprehensive handover to successor, including ensuring transfer of all related documentation, HR data and staff performance information

Emergency Preparedness

• Maintain and/or develop the HR emergency start-up materials and tools, including template policies, procedures, and job descriptions working in close collaboration with the EPRU STEP project, Emergency Preparedness Manager and HQ HR staff to ensure consistency with program needs and HQ standards and polices.
• Participate in the design and implementation of emergency components of the HR Department’s strategic plan;
• Work with country programs to enhance emergency preparedness and response capacities in selected IRC countries;
• Contribute to contingency planning for Watchlist countries through research of HR related legal requirements and options for rapid entry and start-up.
• Actively participate in global and regional HR and EPRU conferences, leading sessions as required on the HR aspects of emergency preparedness and response.

Non-emergency

• Provide HR technical support to existing country programs remotely and through in-country visits or short-term deployments
• Undertake technical assessments or evaluations of HR structures, policies and/or activities of large scale-complex programs
• Assist in the development and launch of new technical policy, procedures and training materials
• Actively participate in global and regional HR conferences, leading sessions as required.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s Degree in Human Resources or Bachelor’s Degree required and advanced professional certification in human resource management ( SPHR, GPHR, CIPD or other HR professional certification)

1. At least 10 years of experience in human resources management including a minimum three years in conflict/emergency locations
2. Demonstrated success as an HR generalist supporting employee groups of 500+ employees in multiple locations within the region or global environment required.
3. Demonstrated ability to identify, recommend and implement best practice approaches that deliver rapid, consistent, high-quality HR management and service provision in an emergency environment
4. Proven abilities to effectively work with local legal counsel and government departments (Ministry of Labor, Immigration etc) to rapidly identify host country legal requirements, for expatriate and national staff negotiate approvals and constructively resolve HR legal issues.
5. Strong collaborator with effective interpersonal and analytical skills who is able to work seamlessly across countries, cultures, and organizational units required
6. Demonstrated ability to work, manage, and meet competing deadlines in a fast-paced, high volume environment and on deadline; aptitude for problem solving and decision making needed
7. Superb written and verbal communication skills required. Capable of managing conflict and conflicting views.

Bilingual French/English highly preferred.